Peter Obi calls for calm as court orders INEC to recognise Abure as LP chairman

Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, has called for calm among the party’s supporters following Tuesday’s Federal High Court judgment recognizing Julius Abure as the national chairman of the party.

Obi, a former Anambra State governor, made the call after a meeting with Governor Alex Otti of Abia State; Nenadi Usman, chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, among other stakeholders in Umuahia.

“Yesterday, Governor Alex Otti and I, along with the Caretaker Chairman and Secretary of the Labour Party, convened to discuss and review recent developments, including the judgment delivered by an Abuja High Court on the same day,” he wrote via his X account on Wednesday.

“I urge all members of the Labour Party to remain calm and patient as we continue to engage in discussions and consultations.

“Our goal is to emerge stronger and more unified, standing together as one united front.

“We must not allow this to divert us from addressing the pressing issues affecting our people today.

“We have always known that the task of creating a new Nigeria that is possible will not come without challenges.”

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Tuesday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party.

Giving judgement on Tuesday affirming Mr Abure as the party chairman, Justice Nwite also ordered the electoral body to recognise the party national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, in March 2024.

Recall that INEC failed to recognise Mr Abure as the party chairman, insisting that his re-election at the convention violated Nigeria’s Constitution and the Electoral Act.

The electoral body then excluded his faction from its refresher training to update party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo states governorship elections.

In his response, Mr Abure filed a counter-affidavit against INEC for the exclusion and accused his party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, and the Abia State Governor Alex Otti, of betrayal. But INEC prayed the court to throw out the suit as the party was not entitled to the reliefs being sought.

In May, a Federal Capital Territory High Court barred Mr Abure, the National Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim, the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu and the Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, from parading themselves as national officers of the party.